Hi everyone! I'm a new member and will be buying my new FJ1200 very soon.
I had an FJ600 in high school. I graduated in 89 and went to Germany. (I knew better than to bring the bike to autobahn land) I remember an Army Major who used to ride his 91 FJ1200 onto base and I would drool just listening to it.
Well, I have finally found one. An 89 with 18.5k miles and less than 75 miles from me! So, I wanted to get more information on what to look out for before purchasing and what I should do to the bike, keeping it as original as I can, to make it better suited to modern riding.
I have an 18 Goldwing Tour DCT and a 12 VMAX1700, but I would like something between the two. A bit of speed and a bit of comfort. I thing the FJ1200 will be perfect. And hey, it's not like they're dropping in value!
Thank you for letting me post and any recommendations would be appreciated. :good2:
Welcome Zuba, there are low mileage FJ's out there to buy, I know, I found an '89 in Wisconsin with 7,500 miles.
Condition depends on how careful the seller was on storing the bike. Get one of those neat iPhone camera attachments and poke it down into the fuel tank. Expect to see a little rust, but not excessive.
Normally I always rent a trailer to bring a used bike home. I want to go through the bike first, before I trust my life to it. In this case my friend Dan McCoy (giantkiller) lives in Wisconsin, so he brought my bike over to his new house and shop for a through review.
What I found I needed to do on my '89 was:
New tires. Avon Spirit ST 150/80-16, 120/70-17 from RevZilla
I found a 3.5" wide front rim from the 1988 FZR1000 to replace (direct swap) the stock 3.0" wide FJ rim. This wider front rim assures a proper tire profile on the 120/70-17 Avon radial tire. This 1/2" wider front rim was not critical (like tires, fuel lines or brake lines) but it was nice to have.
New clutch slave from RPM
Remove the carbs, send them to Robert at RPM for ultrasound cleaning and new jets. Highly recommended.
New fuel filter RPM
New spin on oil filter adaptor from RPM.
New fuel lines, Autozone
New SS brake, clutch lines. RPM
Rebuild frozen rear caliper RPM
Rebuild clutch and front master cylinders. RPM
Fix the infamous red plug (see the File Section for more info)
Install a Transpo voltage regulator to fix the 15+ volts overcharging issue....also in the File Section.
All this allowed me to confidently ride the bike.
Since then, I noticed the typical FJ deficiencies in the suspension arena, namely 1) soft front forks, excessive dive and 2) rear shock dampening.
Those were addressed with a set of fork springs, valves and fork brace from RPM and a (future) Penske sport shock from Traxxion Dynamics. Gotta save my money ($900) for that shock, it's the single most expensive improvement I'll make on this FJ, but it's so worth it. The oem FJ shock was weak sauce the day it left Japan.
I have just recently upgraded the front brakes with 2003 YZF R-1 mono block gold spot calipers, EBC HH pads and a 14mm master from a 2002 FZ-1.
When that new Avon back tire wears out, I plan on converting the back rim over to a 17" YZF600 rim which will allow me many future options on tire choice.
Notice the recurring parts source above?
Send pictures when you get a chance....cheers! Pat
Pat has covered everything most of us do if we want to "upgrade/modernise" our FJ's without changing their character.
The only other things I would do are put on some crash bars (Renntec) and on an 89, I'd swap out the mirrors for 2001-2005 Yamaha FZ1 mirrors - better visibility, no issues with the anti-vibration weights coming loose inside the mirror pods, less helmet wind-buffeting and they just look sooooo much better :sarcastic:
Good news is, we are the North American Renntec dealer as well!
Rusty tanks and damaged fairings are basically the only hard things to come by. Engine and carb parts are still easy to come by we have almost every nut and bolt in stock to rebuild one. So if the fairings and such are in good knick and the tanks isn't too rusted out, you should be able to make it tip top magoo.
Dean, thanks for reminding me on your excellent choice for mirrors (FZ-1) :good2:... that's next on my list.
I've learned my lesson with cheap aftermarket (Emgo) mirrors...never again, only genuine oem for me.
When I did the swap Pat, I used a pair of aftermarket mirrors (less than $30 a pair delivered to my door), as I knew I was going to have to do a bit of work to the bottom of the stems and as I couldn't find anyone else who'd done the swap, there was no info - I didn't want to risk ruining a set of OEM mirrors on my "trial".
I've not changed them yet, even though I have 2 sets of OEM's in the garage (I have them as spares for my FZ1 and FZS 600). Perhaps one day I will, but while these aftermarket ones work perfectly, I'll leave well alone. :good2:
Quote from: RPM - Robert on January 27, 2023, 09:00:35 PM
Good news is, we are the North American Renntec dealer as well!
Definitely the best source for anything FJ in the USA :good2: :good2:
Welcome to the Forum :hi:
Pat pretty much covers what to look for and do with a newly purchased FJ.
I will add my 2 cents on two items that have previously mentioned.
1) mirrors.... the OEM 1989 mirrors are called Moose Horns for a reason.... IMO, they are hideous and afford nothing to view behind you except your elbows. For replacement mirrors, my personal choice are the 2012 CBR250R mirrors.
2) I am also a fan of the 1987/1988 FZR750R or FZR1000 front wheel mod. For the 17" rear wheel...I differ from a few in that I like the GSX-R rear wheel mod.
Photo of my 1989 with the mentioned mods.
Fred